Refrigerator doorlock



July 25, 1933. A. L. HANSEN REFRIGERATOR DOORLOCK Filed Aug. 13, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 25, 1933. A. L. HANSEN 1,919,328

REFRIGERATOR DOORLOCK Filed Aug. 13, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 25, I 1933 l "UNITED STATES PATE OF GHICAGO ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS REFRIGERATOR noonLooK 7 Application filed August 13, 193i Seria1 No.556,734

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerator door locks, and more particularly to looks applicable to the doors of refrigerator bodies for commercial vehicle bodies, althoughsuitable also foridoors of stationary refrigerators and refrigerating compartments. 1

The object of the invention isto provide a practical doorlock assembly capable of be- 10 ing applied'to doors of different sizes,by varying the distance between the several locking units to suit the particular installation, with the attendant advantage of utiliz- 'ing one standard or stock assembly to meet all requirements of the builder.

The need for the tightsealing of refrige orator doors as an aid to eflicient refrigeration is well recognized, and hence it is the practice to apply-locks or latching devices 2 which will not only'hold the door in closed position, but will exert a sealing pressure at'two or more points along the edge of the door, these locks being operated as aunit by a handle located atone of the points of latching. sufficiently flexible to 'be used for different size doors by varying the spacing and number of the locking units makes it unnecessary to keep different sizes and styles of locking devices on hand and greatly simplifies the assembling operation.

A preferred embodiment of my invention.

is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, 111 which F lgurc 1 1s a v1ew in elevation of a refrigerator door equipped with the improved locking device; a

Figure 2 is anenlarged view inhorizontal section through the main locking unit as taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view in'horizontal section through one of the auxiliary locking units taken on line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective View of the main and one auxiliary locking unit in released posit-ion.

Figure 1' shows a typical double door lock installation for either a refrigerator vehicle body or a stationary refrigerator, the doors Thus, a lock assembly that is 1, 1 being of the usual thick insulated con-3 AUGIE L. QHANSEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINQIsQAssrenon TO A. L. HANSEN MFG. coMrAnY,

struction hung in the'door frame 2 by hinges 1 the edges, of' doors and frame being stepped and sealed to reduce heat losses to a minimum. The locking mechanism is nected units mounted at the top and bottom of the several keepers or stirrups 3 fixed to the doors and door-frame and a central unit j mounted on the outside and alongthe meeting edges of the doors,- and consists of conon the doors operated by a handle. Each unit consists of a stirrup 3 and a locking. member 4, the latter being inter-connected by a vertical rod-5 which turns the locking members in unison into and out of locking engagement with the stirrups3 by swing ing a lever or handle 6 forming a part'of the centermost unit..

Referring first to the center or 'main handle-operated unit 4' after which the others i are patterned, the same comprises. a twopart bracket 7 fastened to the edge of the right-hand door 1 (Figure and supports a locking member 8'rotative about a vertical, axis. For convenience of assembly 'the' brackets are split lengthwise into plates 7*,

to, the door, each plate having an integral ear 7 along their outeredges, these cars projecting outwardly at right angles and cylindrical body and projecting inwardly from the edge of the door is an integralwe 8"on the outer face of which is pivotally.

mounted the operating handlefiby means of apin6 I The stirrups .3 whlch mayJbe slightly .7 abutting edge to edge and screwed fast heavier and larger, for the center locking f unit, but otherwise the same as those used for the end locking units, consists of flat 0 plate 3 secured by screws to the door with its forward edge coinciding with the edge I thereof and a strap 3 extending along its rear edge, the ends of the strap being welded to the plate and the central portion bent upwardly in a flat U-shape to provide a keeper Now, the CQDtQI lOQkiIIg HHlt as thus fardescribed, together with its stirrup, forms a complete locking fixture, and as such could be used on a small door requiring only one lock. However, it is designed to coact with one, two or more units similar to the end units herein disclosed, and to this end it is constructed to function with the rod 5 by providing the cylindrical body of the lock-- ing member with an axial bore 8 square in cross-section and of. a size to permit the rod 5 to be inserted therethrough. v r

In the installation shown, the ends of the rod 5 extend to and are connected with the end locking units 4, 4 which are substantial duplicates of the center unit without the handle. Hence, the end or auxiliary locking units need not be described in f detail other than to point out the difference in construction. Thus, instead of a web for a handle mounting, the cylindrical bodies9 ofthe end units have one or more bosses 9 which are tapped to receive set screws 9 for locking the rod 5 in place after the several locking units have been assembled (Figure 4) by sliding them on. the rod to the points where the same are to be fastened. Moreover, the brackets 10 supporting the end locking members are mounted at the upper edge of the door, while the stirrups 3, 3 are fixed-to the door frame. Thus, the brackets have but one ear 1O along their outer edges and the locking members extend beyond the brackets and opposite the stirrups with the circular bosses at the inner ends of the bodies igjournalled in the ears 10 of the brackets The rod thus connects all of the locking members so that they turn together when the handle is rotated, the angle of rotation bemg approximately 90 or a quarter turn in both directions. Thus, in closing the door the forward edges of the lugs first strike the stirrup plates, whereupon further pressure i upon the handle forcing the door closed, ro-

tates the locking members and thrusts the lugs endwise into the stirrups with their outer faces in'contact with the stirrup straps 3 as shown in Figure 2, which act as a fulcrum to obtain ample leverage to draw the door tightly closed.

As the handle is mounted, it is capable of being swung through an angle of a little more than 90 from a horizontal to a vertical downward positlon, the same having a stop projection 6* near the pivot pin which contacts with a shoulder 11 on the cylindrical body of the locking member to limit the upwardly swinging movement to a position slightly above the horizontal.

Thus in the open position of the door, the handle 6 would normally hang downwardly, so that the person on closing it would push inwardly by grasping the curved endof the handle, thereby initially contacting the lugs with stirrups and then swing the handle upwardly to thrust the lugs home into the stirrups for the final closing movement. 7 V

For convenience in holding the parts in locked position, an additional bracket 12 is mounted in the door just beyond the center locking member, this bracket having an L- shaped arm at its upper end which ,forms a saddle for the handle, the latter having adepending lug 13 adapted to pass through,

Similarly to open dle, and then swung downwardly accompanied with an outward pull, the initial outward swing of the handle bringing a definite leverage into play as the forward edges of the lugs fulcrum on the stirrups plates preceding their withdrawal from locking position. This initial leverage is of great advantage in breaking the frost seal which offers considerable resistance and which is accomplished without a direct pull upon the handle.

A further and important feature of the locking device is the flexibility of assembly which permits the. varying of the number and spacing of the locking units as des manded by the size and dimensions of the door to be fitted. Thus the simplest installation would be a single locking unit us ing only the main or handled type as herein shown. Such a unit can be readily mounted on a small door without'using a rodor another unit, the presence or absence of which does not alter its completeness as a lockingv unit. Again, if the installation requires one, two or more additional. looking units, a length of the rod (which is a stock material and can be cut to any length) such as would include the end units is in serted through the units, and when the same the door the lever handle is first lifted to release it from the sad different style for each size of refrigerator with an attendant saving in the cost of applying and' assembling.

I claim as my invention: 1. A locking device assembly for refrig-' era-tor doors, comprising a plurality of lock gagement with said rod at any point of its length, on e of said sleeves having a bar extending'from its side opposed to its said lever lug, and a handle pivoted to said bar i to swing in "a plane parallel to said rod.

2. A locking device consisting of 'a sleeve havinga lever lugprojecting from one side thereof with an operating end parallel to said sleeve,'a supporting bracket adapted for rotatively mounting said, sleeve, said sleeve having a bar-extending from its side opposed to said lever lug, and a handle pivoted to said bar to swing in a plane parallel to the 'rotative axis of said sleeve.

' AUGIE'L. HANSEN. 

